‘Anderson’ Getting Overhauled, Will Look More Like ‘Live! With Kelly’

Not only is Anderson Cooper’s daytime talk show going live next season, it is also going ‘Live.’ B&C’s ace syndication reporter Paige Albiniak reports that the show is getting a total overhaul, starting with the name which will now be “Anderson Live.” The end result: a show that sounds suspiciously like the former “Live! with Regis & Kelly,” for which Cooper was a regular fill-in.

For starters: in addition to its new studio at the CBS Broadcast Center, the show will have a rotating cast of co-hosts, and Warner Bros. says it is not against naming a permanent host, if someone clicks. The live studio audience will also remain.

“Our biggest overall goal for Anderson Live is to take the best elements of daytime and put them in a show that works in 2012. Being live plays to Anderson’s strengths, providing immediacy and topicality, which allows us to talk about what is going on in the world,” said Terence Noonan, the show’s executive producer. “Anderson Live is the show that makes you a little smarter, the one that you have fun watching, and at the end of each episode you can’t wait to tune in the next day to see what’s happening.”

For Cooper, it also means that he will be hosting at least two hours of live TV every day, and often more. He will continue to anchor CNN’s 8 PM program “AC360,” which often goes live with updates at 10 PM as well.

(August 1, 2012, New York, NY) – “Anderson,” the one-hour daily syndicated talk show hosted by Anderson Cooper, returns for its second season as “Anderson Live” on Monday, September 10, 2012, with a brand new show name, new set and new live format with rotating co-hosts. The announcement was made today by “Anderson Live” Executive Producer Terence Noonan.

“Anderson Live” will tape in front of a live studio audience at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City where Cooper will be joined daily by co-hosts for the show’s sophomore season. “Anderson Live’s” new set with live capabilities will enable Cooper to cover stories while they are breaking and update his viewers with the latest news, truly becoming water cooler TV in the daytime.

“Anderson Live” will feature interviews with movie stars from the fall’s most anticipated films including Richard Gere and the cast of “Arbitrage,” as well as Emma Watson and the cast of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”; TV stars from hit shows including “Modern Family’s” Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell, ” The Mindy Project’s” Mindy Kaling and “Scandal’s” Kerry Washington; Comedian and Author Stephen Colbert as well as classic stars including Carol Burnett.

“Anderson Live” also welcomes Emmy-winning veteran talk show producer George Davilas as Co-Executive Producer. Davilas, a seasoned daytime executive who brings over 15 years of experience, most recently served as Senior Supervising Producer at “The Doctors.”

“Our biggest overall goal for ‘Anderson Live’ is to take the best elements of daytime and put it in a show that works in 2012. Being live plays to Anderson’s strengths, providing immediacy and topicality, which allows us to talk about what is going on in the world,” said Terence Noonan, Executive Producer. “ ‘Anderson Live’ is the show that makes you a little smarter, the one that you have fun watching, and at the end of each episode you can’t wait to tune in the next day to see what’s happening.”

“We’ve got a lot of fun, great things planned for the new season. I am really excited to be joined by daily co-hosts and look forward to switching to a live format, which allows us more freedom to cover topical issues as well as connect more with the viewer at home,” said Anderson Cooper.

Anderson’s Summer Instagram Photo-A-Day Challenge: A month-long photo sharing contest on Instagram where fans play for a chance to win prizes. Anderson will also snap and share his own personal photos from his summer. Contest starts August 6th.
Talk with #AndersonLive: As the show tapes live, real-time feedback from fans will be incorporated into the show via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and other social networks as the show continues it’s on-air social media integration.
Stump Anderson: Each week fans will be encouraged to send in fun trivia questions via social media to be answered by Anderson during a live webcast.
Anderson Seat Tweets: Fans tweet to sit in Anderson’s Seat Tweets section, a reserved special section of that audience that allows for live tweeting through out the show taping.

“Anderson Live” tapes in front of a live studio audience at CBS Studios in New York City. “Anderson Live” is produced by StrongChild Productions in association with Telepictures Productions, an industry-leading and Emmy® Award-winning producer of syndicated programming. The series is distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, one of the leading distributors of first-run and off-network programming. Cooper and Terence Noonan serve as Executive Producers.